Quite the week around these parts. We added a couple of thousand new members to the community, had a spirited 3 hour On Stage With RB (On Demand soon) with actor Omar Leyva and manager (and Stage 32 educator) Jairo Alvarado, made some site improvements, launched an initiative with the Producers Guild of America and recorded a couple of podcasts. And that’s just for starters. You can read more of what’s been happening on the site and what’s to come under STAGE 32 NEWS.

Also plenty happening elsewhere. Under ENTERTAINMENT NEWS this week, I have the story of Sundays the short “proof of concept” video that the aforementioned Jairo Alvarado turned into a 6 figure deal with Warner Brothers. It’s a pretty remarkable tale that you won’t want to miss.

Also in that section: How to sell a TV show to Netflix; Variety wonders if 2015 is going to be the year of women at the movies; a mass exodus from CAA to UTA; box office lessons from the first quarter of the year; 10 indie films to check out this month; Lionsgate introduces a new distribution initiative; Christopher Nolan opens up about early career rejection; one of my favorite authors, Don Winslow, finally gets his due; the Tribeca Film Festival is set to honor Frank Sinatra; news from Broadway and much, much more.

Under VIDEOS, I have a great interview with Paul Thomas Anderson and Jonathan Demme – I was in attendance for this one. It’s a fun watch. I also have more Kubrick, specifically a look at his preference in lenses. Finally, I have the trailers for Spectre, Southpaw and the new Mad Max film.

It was one busy week over on the Stage 32 Lounge and under POPULAR AND INTERESTING LOUNGE DISCUSSIONS I have some of the coolest recent threads. Thanks to all who posted terrific content this week as well as those who just took the time to contribute!

The number of success stories continues to rise here on the site. You can read all the inspirational tales (and send congrats) under STAGE 32 SUCCES STORIES.

And finally, we’ve added some new incredible educators to our growing stable of industry executives who teach for us here on Stage 32. I’ve (with an assist from Stage 32 Director of Education, Shannon) listed all the upcoming available classes and webinars under STAGE 32 EDUCATION!

Hope you enjoy all the content! As always, I welcome remarks and debate on any of the material in the Comments section below!

Have a wonderful and creative weekend.

Cheers!
RB

STAGE 32 NEWS

We're extremely proud to announce that we have joined forces with The Producers Guild of America's newly formed Women's Impact Network (PGA W.I.N.) to shine a spotlight on women working within the industry and women-centric projects in our upcoming Pitch To W.I.N two week event! Although this event is exclusive to PGA members, we hope it serves to show all members of the community our commitment to shine an equal light on material created by our members. To read more about the 2 week event, click here: Stage 32 & the PGA Women's Impact Network

For those of you who are traveling to the TriBeCa Film Festival in New York City, NY USA, we invite you to the Stage 32 and Film Interchange Filmmakers Lounge on April 13! On tap we have two excellent panels on using social media as a filmmaker and crowdsourcing & crowdfunding your film. We're excited to have amazing industry executives from Stage 32, Film Interchange, Indiegogo and Seed & Spark on the panels. Best of all, the event is FREE and you do not need a TriBeCa Film Festival pass to get in! To read more about the event and to RSVP, click here: Stage 32 & Film Interchange Filmmakers Lounge at the TriBeCa Film Festival

This week Stage 32 Founder & CEO, RB, was on the Hollywood Insight podcast hosted by Steven Trautmann, a longtime comedy writer in Hollywood. Joining them was actress Allira Jaques, a Stage 32 member who - just this year - used Stage 32 to help her move from Australia to Los Angeles. For a lively 45 minutes, Steve talked with RB about all things revolving around the industry - writing, filmmaking, producing, acting, education, the global reach of projects and so much more. And, Allira shared how Stage 32 provided her access, networking and education to help her with her big move. To read more about the podcast and to listen to it for free, click here: RB on the Hollywood Insight Podcast

RB was also recently featured on Film Courage in a series of interviews, which will be updated with new segments throughout the coming weeks. You can see the interview Is Hollywood Really All About Who You Know? by clicking here and the interview Best Way To Network In Hollywood by clicking here. If you like the interviews, please let us know by sharing them on social media!

Tuesday 4/7 at 1pm PDT Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents Deconstructing The 0-1 Visa: How To Get A U.S. Entertainment Visa hosted by Liz Profumo, Managing Attorney of the Immigration Firm D'Alessio Law Group. In this webainar, Liz and her team at DLG Immigration will walk you through the O-1 ‘Artist of Extraordinary Ability' visa. You will leave the webinar knowing:

Thursday 4/9 at 1pm PDT Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents Voicing Commercials Part 1: How To Approach Copy As A VO Actor hosted by David H. Lawrence XVII, VO and screen actor with over 50 credits, including Heroes, Lost, CSI, How I Met Your Mother, Men In Black III, Iron Man and more! In this webinar, David will take you through the most common category of voice over auditions and performance: radio and TV (and now, web) commercial copy. You will leave the webinar:

Knowing how to take your execution of commercial VO to a deeper and more satisfying level!

With an understanding of the most important words in your script as a VO actor.

Knowing how to slate for VO.

Knowing how to create the right energy and pitch for commercial VO.

Prepared to approach professional voice over work for radio and TV commercials!

Saturday 4/11 at 11am PDT Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents How To Get A Paying Job In The Film Industry hosted by Producer and Independent Filmmaker Amanda Johnson-Zetterstrom, who has worked closely on films such as Short Term 12, Friends With Kids and It Follows. In this webinar, Amanda will explain how she got her start in the business, how she worked her way up to a Development Executive position, and give you detailed advice about how to navigate getting a paying job in the industry. You will leave the webinar knowing:

If it makes sense for you to get an internship or not.

What different jobs exist in the industry - and if they'll still be around in 5 years.

How to get a paying job in the film industry rather than unpaid positions.

How to write a great resume and cover letter.

How much money you can expect to realistically make in different jobs - so you know how much to ask for.

What makes the most sense for you, your interests, and your lifestyle when pursuing paid work in the film industry.

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As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...